Do we have the right to be forgotten?

A European commission ruling would give individuals the right to delete unflattering material posted online

Do we have the right to be forgotten — le droit a l’oubli?
At least that is how French law describes the right to delete information one has posted about oneself. A European commission announced such last month as a new privacy right — sending shivers down the corporate spines of Facebook and Google, who might have to police what and where mentions are posted and re-posted.
In French law, convicted criminals who have paid their debt to society may object to publication of the facts of his or her conviction or imprisonment. The French believe it is difficult to move on to a new life when weighed down with a criminal past.
Google sees this right as an enormous threat to free speech.
Chronicle Dot Commentary columnist James Temple has written on this topic.
The concern is the subject matter of a New Republic article by Jeffrey Rosen.
Privacy and free speech are concerns we write regularly about on the editorial pages. In the discussion here, the balance lies the individual’s right to privacy and society’s right to know. Where do you weigh in?